Inter Milan have climbed to the top of Serie A thanks to a 1-0 victory over Roma in a tight affair between two title contenders at the San Siro.

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Gary Medel's long-range strike proved to be enough as Inter relied on an impressive display from Samir Handanovic to frustrate Roma, who lost Miralem Pjanic to a red card in the second half as they searched for a response.

Roberto Mancini had every right to be pleased with how Inter dictated the tempo for much of the game, but the defence looked vulnerable as a confident Roma side threatened on the counter.

Handanovic was forced to come to the rescue with a stunning save to keep out Edin Dzeko's header after the Bosnian striker had been gifted space in the box.

Another warning arrived for Inter when Handanovic pushed Maicon's effort out to Dzeko, who was denied what looked to be a certain goal by a crucial block Danilo D'Ambrosio.

Despite it being Roma who created the better of the early opportunities, Inter dominated possession for long spells and broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark.

Medel was offered too much space to control the ball around 30 yards from goal, and the Chilean took full advantage to find the bottom corner with a powerful long-range strike to leave Wojciech Szczesny helpless.

Inter were boosted by the opening goal but struggled to make the most of an extended spell on top of the break, and Handanovic made another key contribution for the hosts once again early in the second half to palm Dzeko's header to safety.

As Roma started to push the hosts further back, it soon became clear that Rudi Garcia's side were becoming the victims of a memorable display from Handanovic.

The Slovenian was at full stretch to stop Alessandro Florenzi's effort from outside the box, and he reacted to the loose ball quickly to make two blocks from Mohamed Salah.

Roma continued to pile on the pressure in search of an equaliser, but they were dealt a blow heading into the closing stages as Pjanic picked up his second yellow card after stopping an Inter break with a deliberate handball.

Szczesny was responsible for keeping the visitors in the game moments later as Marcelo Brozovic tested him with a powerful volley after being set up by Ivan Perisic.

Roma finished strongly despite being a man down, but Inter managed to hold on for a win which takes them one point ahead of Giallorossi and two in front of Napoli and Fiorentina, who both return to action on Sunday.